


Reunions

by fruitycat



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Childhood Friends, Comedy, Crushes, F/F, First Crush, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Post-Canon, Reunions, Sleepovers, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2018-11-02 13:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10945350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruitycat/pseuds/fruitycat
Summary: Five years after the events of Pokémon Sun and Moon, Lillie returns to Alola to see how everyone's changed.In her discoveries, she finds that she has changed, as well.





	1. Catching Up

**Author's Note:**

> the kids are around 16-17 in this!  
> also obviously big spoilers if you haven't played the game ;p  
> addin more chapters later so look out!

As Lillie stepped off the boat, her legs were shaking. Partially from the long trip, and partially due to her overall excitement to be back in Alola. And of course, partially due to the fear of her friends forgetting her. Don't get her wrong, Kanto had been a blast. But five years was a long time. Lillie had grown up, and she wondered if she would even be recognizable. Her hair was longer, and went down to her waist even in the high ponytail she was sporting. She had grown in height as well, and God. She hated how much she looked like her mother now. As much as she loved Lusamine, some of the memories associated with her were the worst of her life. Her mother, for lack of a better term, was horrible. She did horrific things to the Pokémon in the Aether Foundation. Lillie would not let herself become like her.

Lillie cleared her mind. She was nothing like that. She had her own Pokémon now, six of them, strapped to the belt of her new trainer outfit. A nice kid had recommended she wear shorts for her journey. Kantonian tradition. New look, new height, new confident self, she made her way out of the ferry terminal. Pushing through a couple of Kantonian tourists, she glanced around. It was night time, and through the soft glow of the moonlight, she saw a small group gathered. Hau, her brother, and Moon, who was running up to her with a huge grin on her face. So much for everyone forgetting her.

Before she could greet everyone properly, she found herself lifted off her feet. Moon had her arms around her waist, and was lifting her in a bone-crushing hug. Lillie could only giggle. Moon spun around, and gently lowered her back to her feet, not letting go of the hug.

"I missed you," she said, still smiling, but was she... tearing up? Hau and Gladion had run up to her as well now, and Moon blinked her tears away.

Hau looked her up and down, studying her. Lillie adjusted her bag on her shoulders, unsure what to do with the sudden attention. Hau looked up abruptly.

"Man, you got tall!"

Lillie giggled again. He was right, she basically towered over him and Moon. Moon seemed to have stopped growing while she left. She was exactly like Lillie remembered, bright eyed and round faced. The only strikingly different thing about her was that she seemed a bit... _curvier_ than before, and slightly more muscular.

Gladion hung back, hiding his face in one of his hands. He'd never been good at expressing himself, and now was no exception. Moon gave him a light punch on the arm, and he flustered.

"Thank you all so much for coming to see me," Lillie said through her smile, "I honestly don't know what to say. I thought everyone would have forgotten me."

"I would never," Moon said, almost sternly. She gripped onto Lillie's arm. Lillie ruffled Moon's hair. On their first adventure five years ago, Moon was always protective of her. She remembered the times Moon rushed in to defend her from a wild Pokémon or a Team Skull Grunt. This didn't seem to have changed, as Moon stuck to Lillie like glue on their trip back to the Professor's lab.

Upon their arrival, they heard the Professor's Lycanroc barking from inside. The door opened, and Lycanroc came bounding out, followed by Professor Kukui. After noticing Lillie, the Pokémon pounced, attempting to lick her face. Due to the dog's size, Lillie toppled over, and was left defenseless to Lycanroc's puppy kisses.

"L-Lycanroc!!" she gasped out between fits of giggles.

"Lycanroc, come back!" Kukui shouted, "You're not a puppy any more!" The dog gave Lillie's face one final lick before running back to its owner. Moon grabbed Lillie's hand and helped her up.

"Dang, be careful, Professor! You know how Lillie feels about Pokémon," Hau warned, before stopping, puzzled. "Or, wait, do you?"

"It's okay, Hau," Lillie said as she dusted off her pants. "I'm not afraid of big Pokémon any more. Now I have some of my own."

"Speaking of which," the Professor said, coming down to meet the group, "How about showing off your new Pokémon, yeah?" He motioned to the six Pokéballs strapped to Lillie's belt.

Lillie nodded. "Alright, come on out, guys!" She removed them from her belt, and tossed her six Pokéballs in the air. With a burst of light, her Pokémon were revealed to be a Venusaur, a Chansey, a Vaporeon, a Butterfree, a Dragonair, and a Kantonian Ninetales. Hau rushed up to the Ninetales excitedly.

"Wowzers, I've never seen a Kantonian Ninetales before!" He ran his hands through the soft fur of the Ninetales' chest. Moon took it a step further, and buried her face into one of it's luxurious tails.

"It's warm," she sighed, using her hands to gather up as many of the silky tails as she could hold.

"She's super soft," Lillie smiled. "I remember on some of our longer adventures away from proper towns, we would sleep around her like a campfire."

"That's fire types for you, yeah," Kukui noted, "Warm as a Sunny Day!"

Hau grimaced at the thought of Lillie sleeping in a cave or forest without a tent. "Lillie is hardcore," he mused.

Even Gladion, who had been off to the side and away from the commotion, had come out to meet Lillie's team. He inspected the Venusaur, feeling its bumpy skin with a puzzled look on his face. Lillie noticed, and joined her brother in petting the huge Pokémon.

"I got her when i first arrived," she explained, "The professor there, I think her name was Leaf? She let me have one of her extra starter Pokémon. She was really nice."

Gladion muttered a soft ' _oh_ ', before moving on to inspect the others. Lillie wondered why he was so grumpy today. Maybe he still wasn't used to her being back? She did look like basically a whole new person. Maybe he didn't know how to act.

"Alright," the Professor said after a while, "I know you're all excited to see Lillie again, but it's getting late! You all should be heading back home soon."

Moon scowled. "Really Prof.? I still... we still have so much to talk about."

"Yeah!" Hau backed her up. "Why don't we have a sleepover?"

Kukui thought for a moment, not seeming opposed to the idea.

"Well, I do still have Lillie's couch bed set up in her loft. And I'm sure we have an air mattress somewhere..." He paused to look at Hau, who was giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes.

"Come on, you're not a kid any more," Gladion growled, nudging Hau in the side.

"I don't actually think it's a bad idea!" Lillie said. "We could stay up late, and I could tell you all about my journey, and you guys could tell me how everyone's been doing since I left."

"That decides it, then!" Kukui exclaimed.

"Wahoo!" Hau bounced up and down excitedly. Moon gave him a high-five.

"I'll call your parents," Kukui said to Moon and Hau. "Meanwhile, you four can go try to find the air mattress, yeah!"

Without further prompting, Hau and Moon made a dash for the lab's door, challenging the other to find the mattress first. Gladion and Lillie were left out in the yard. Gladion made a move for the door, but was interrupted by Lillie's timid voice.

"You... You _are_  glad I'm back, right?"

Gladion stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded. "W-What? What makes you think I'm not?"

"You've hardly said a word to me ever since I came off the boat. D-Did you even miss me? I-"

"Lillie." He put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Of course I missed you. It's just, since you've been back, I-"

"Hey, you Slowpokes!" Moon called teasingly out from the door, gripping the limp air mattress in one hand. "I found it already!" Hau moped out beside her.

"I swear, I saw it first," he whined, his competitive spirit as deflated as the mattress.

"God, you're just like a little kid," Gladion barked, having lost his train of thought entirely. Lillie sighed, and followed the other three into the lab.

Lillie was the first to climb up the ladder to her loft. She plopped herself down on the couch bed and stretched, having relaxed immediately.

"It feels like home," she sighed, and beckoned the other three to come up. Hau and Gladion joined her to sit on the bed, and Moon was last, dragging the huge air mattress up with her. It was beginning to become clear that this place was not meant for four people. There was hardly enough room for the air mattress to fit to the right of the bed, let alone the four of them. It was crowded, but nice. It made Lillie feel secure to be surrounded so closely by her best friends.

"Alright, let's blow this bad boy up," Moon said, wrestling with the mattress in search for the plug. Hau joined her, and soon enough they both found the opening. Moon opened the plug, and frowned. Blowing this up would definitely cost her a lung or two.

"Any of you guys got a pump handy...?"

Lillie shook her head. "Hmm... wait, I might have a better idea!" She grabbed one of her Pokéballs off her belt, and released her Butterfree.

"Butterfree has some moves to do with air. Maybe he'll be able to inflate it for us."

"That's... actually not a bad idea," Gladion said, hesitantly. Moon and Hau nodded in agreement.

"That does it then!" Lillie suddenly assumed her battle pose.

"Butterfree, use Air Slash on that mattress!"

With an excited chirp and a burst of energy, Butterfree summoned a blade of air and sliced through the sky in front of it. Hau and Moon barely avoided it in time, and once the wind cleared, the air mattress was left with a huge gaping slice through the middle.

"Oh, jeez," Moon said. Lillie looked like she was about to tear up.

"O-Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she cried out. Her Butterfree chirped an apology as well, before it returned to its Pokéball.

"It's no problem, Lillie!" Hau gave her a pat on the back. "We can just get your Ninetales to heat up the plastic and meld it back together, and then-"

"NOPE," Gladion interrupted. "I'll go see if the Professor has any duct tape. You guys stay put." He made his way back down the ladder. Once he was out of sight, Lillie sighed.

"Even after being gone adventuring for so long, I'm still... kind of silly when it comes to trainer stuff."

"Silly Lillie," Moon hummed.

"Look at me, after 5 years with my Pokémon, I still tried to use an attack on a mattress! I'm hopeless," she said. Moon couldn't tell if she was serious, since she was smiling the whole time.

"Don't joke about that," she said, coming up to sit with Lillie on the couch bed. "You might actually be the smartest one here."

"Yeah! Don't sweat it, Lils," Hau added, hopping up on the bed as well. His weight caused the couch to sink down, and the girls practically toppled into eachother. He wrapped his arms around them in an awkward group hug.

"You guys," Lillie giggled. No later did they hear Gladion trudging up the ladder with a roll of duct tape in his hand.

"Gladion!" Hau called, "Join us!" He opened his arms, beckoning him into the hug.

"Yeah, no way," he said, before getting to work on fixing the mattress.

"No fun," Hau muttered.

"The mattress isn't too bad," Gladion said, adding a few extra layers of tape over the gash. The Professor waved up at them from the bottom of the ladder.

"You kids might need this, yeah," He passed up an air pump up to Gladion.

"Maybe we should've tried this first," Moon laughed, helping hook the pump up to the air mattress.

Soon enough, the mattress was fully inflated. Professor Kukui had given them spare blankets and pillows, and soon enough the loft was fully decked out for a proper sleepover. They'd made popcorn, and listened intently as Lillie told them her tales from Kanto. Lillie, they found out, was an excellent storyteller. She told them how she caught each of her Pokémon, and described in great detail the battles she fought to collect the Gym badges. The others were great listeners, cheering and clapping at all the right times. Lillie couldn't help but smile. When it got late, Kukui had to force them to turn off the lights.

"Aww, come on, Prof.," Moon whined.

"You're growing kids! You need your sleep."

An annoyed grunt from Moon, and the lamp was turned off, leaving them in the soft blue glow from the fish tank downstairs. Moon plopped herself down on the couch bed, laying on her tummy.

"You boys get the mattress, me and Lillie get the couch."

"No objections here! I'm so sleepy," Hau sighed, falling back onto the air mattress.

"You're gonna pop it again," Gladion grumbled.

Everyone settled into their respective spots, and tried their best to fall asleep. It proved to be more difficult than expected, and after five minutes of slightly awkward silence, Hau spoke.

"Can't sleep," he said with a yawn, "Too excited."

"Gosh, you too?" Lillie sighed into her pillow. Moon rubbed her eyes beside her. Gladion sat up in bed as well.

"We could tell secrets," Moon said with a devious smirk.

"That's a terrible idea."

"Gladion hates fun~" Hau teased.

"Yuck."

"Look, look, Lillie, you go first."

Lillie hesitated, thinking of something to say.

"Um..." she started, "I love... my friends."

"That's not a secret!" Hau whined.

"That's not all!" Lillie giggled. "I love my Pokémon, too."

"So cheesy," Moon laughed, snuggling into the taller girl.

"Alright, alright," Hau interrupted, "How about you, Gladion?"

Gladion looked at his sister's smiling silhouette, gently illuminated by the blue light in front of her. The way the light reflected off her green eyes was piercing. He couldn't shake the bad feeling that coiled in his stomach. Everyone was having such a good time, and yet...

"You look so much like her," he found himself blurting out. And there was silence.

"I... I know," Lillie replied. "God, I know. I look in the mirror, and all I see is our mother. I'm her splitting image! Every crease in my face, I got it from _her_. I can't stand it. How am I supposed to distance myself from her if... if..." She was beginning to choke up. Moon gripped onto her hand.

"I don't know what to say," Hau said, almost under his breath, not daring to make eye contact.

"Then be quiet," Gladion hissed. "Lillie, I know it's you, not her, but I... you just..." He trailed off. The room went silent again.

"...Where is Lusamine, anyway?" Hau asked, hesitantly.

"We... we had to leave her behind. She tried to get better, she really did, but... but she got worse. Fusing with the Ultra Beast... it ruined her, Hau! She's not my mother any more, she's... she's someone else." There were definitely tears in her eyes at this point. Moon stayed silent, rubbing small circles into Lillie's palm with her thumb.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," Moon said abruptly. "You don't deserve this. I... I want to protect you."

Lillie could've sworn Moon had tears in her eyes, too. Before she could be questioned, she shoved her face into her pillow.

"I can't deal with this. I want to sleep."

The others silently agreed that that was the best thing for them. They curled up into their beds, and tried their hardest to fall asleep, their heads racing with new and confusing thoughts. Before she drifted off, Lillie could've sworn she heard Moon say her name in her sleep.


	2. Trial Captains in Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang checks up on some future Trial Captains.

The next morning, Moon awoke to find Lillie missing. She panicked, looking around the room frantically. She only stopped worrying when she heard faint singing from below.

Moon peered over the edge of the loft. There, in the small kitchen below, Professor Kukui and Lillie were working. She climbed down the ladder, careful not to trip in her sleepy state.

The Professor was tending to something on the stove, while Lillie was mixing up a large bowl of batter. She hummed an unidentifiable tune as she worked. Lillie briefly looked up from her mixing, and upon seeing Moon, her eyes lit up.

"Oh, Moon, you're up!" she said with a smile. Moon rubbed some of the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning," she said sleepily.

Lillie giggled. "Moon, we're making breakfast. Come have a taste." Moon came to Lillie's side by the counter. The counter had a few bowls strewn across it, full of various fresh Berries and cream.

"Man, this looks amazing."

"Come on, don't be shy," Lillie said as she popped a Pecha Berry into Moon's mouth. It was delicious, and sweet, likely fresh from one of the Berry trees outside.

Over on the stove, Kukui was skillfully flipping pancakes, tossing them into the air before catching them back in the pan. Moon watched in awe as he flipped another batch onto the cooling tray beside him.

"This should be enough for breakfast, yeah?" he said, counting them up in his head. "You go wake up the boys, me and Lillie will finish off this last batch."

"Got it." Moon did a salute, and marched out of the kitchen. She climbed back up into the loft, and delivered a swift kick into the air mattress. It bounced in place from the sudden impact, shaking the two boys awake. Hau rubbed his eyes.

"Mmm... I'm up, I'm up, just... gimme a minute," he moaned, pulling the blankets away from his face. Gladion stirred awake as well.

"Wh... Hau, get your arm off of me," he growled through his attempts to push away the larger boy's arm, which was practically pinning him down.

"M'sorry," Hau said, rolling out of bed with a yawn, "S'just, you're kinda like a teddy bear, only... with cold feet."

"Gross." He was blushing.

They were interrupted by the smell of pancakes, which was enough to shut Hau up. Lillie and the Professor each carried out high stacks of pancakes on plates, setting them down on the living room table. Hau practically flew down the ladder, and threw himself onto the couch beside Lillie. Gladion would require some extra persuasion. Moon kicked the mattress a few more times.

"Why- are- you- so- sleepy-!" she yelled between kicks.

"Go easy on that mattress! It's already been destroyed once!" Kukui called.

"Are you more concerned for the mattress than me?" Gladion barked.

"Yeah Moon, come off it!" Hau yelled back, "You'll give him Shaking Baby Syndrome!"

"Why, you-"

The teasing was enough for Gladion to scramble out of bed and down the ladder, with almost ninja-like agility. Before you knew it, he had managed to grab Hau in a headlock. Lillie burst into laughter, snorting between fits of giggles.

"Hey, hey, cut it out!" Kukui warned, "It's Lillie's first day back in Alola, we don't need you two to Play Rough!"

Moon had climbed down to join the group, and was now attempting to pull Gladion and Hau apart.

"No tussling at breakfast," Moon scolded, "And eat your pancakes, they'll get cold!" After some prodding, Gladion backed off, and went to sit between Hau and the Professor. Moon hopped down to sit beside Lillie, and promptly began to chow down on her plate of pancakes. The others followed her lead, and grabbed themselves a stack of pancakes each.

"Man, Lillie, these are amazing!" Moon said through a full mouth.

"Thank you so much!! I picked up cooking while I was in Kanto," Lillie replied.

"You'd make a good wife."

Moon didn't intend for it to mean anything, and Lillie wasn't sure if she wanted it to mean anything, but the implication made her heart skip a beat.

Hau was the first to clean his plate. He immediately went back for seconds.

"Almost as good as malasada," he hummed as he poured syrup over his second stack. "Hey, that reminds me, Lillie! You wouldn't've had a malasada in forever!"

"Alola's signature treat," Kukui noted. Lillie's eyes went wide.

"Gosh... Hau, you're right!" she gasped. "No wonder I've been homesick."

Hau suddenly got a determined look in his eye. "Alright!" he said, "Everyone leave room for dessert, because once this is done, we're going for malasadas!"

"Woo!" Moon called out, "I like the way you think!"

"I can drive," said Gladion.

"Come on, Glad, it's only down the street! You just wanna show off your fancy driving skills," Moon teased.

"You're only jealous because you failed your driving test five times," he rebutted. Moon huffed and turned back to her pancakes. Lillie giggled.

"Moon's right," she said, "We aren't too far, it'll be good exercise! I'm used to walking by now."

"And besides, you need some meat on your bones! Some muscle!" Hau laughed, poking him in the side. It took every bit of will in Gladion's body not to headlock him again.

"Homie's got skeleton legs," Moon agreed.

After breakfast, and a ten minute walk, the gang arrived in the Hau'oli shopping district. Lillie took her time, attempting to soak up all the scenery. Nostalgia hit her like a brick. _Man_ , it was good to be back.

They pushed through the double doors, and were immediately hit with the smell of fresh cooking malasadas. Lillie's mouth began to water.

"Better get in line quick! Gotta get 'em while they're fresh," Hau said, hands behind his head.

As the group found themselves a place in line, they noticed a familiar green-haired girl in front of them. When the girl turned around, two to-go bags of malasadas in her hands, Lillie recognized her as Mallow, the Grass Trial Captain.

"Hey, Mallow!" Moon called, "Didn't expect to meet you here!" She put her hand up for a high-five.

"Moon!" Mallow grinned. "Er, I would totally take you up on that high-five, but..." She waved her bagged malasadas in the air.

"I gotcha," Moon nodded. "Oh, Mallow! Guess who's back!!" She stepped aside, and pointed dramatically at Lillie. She waved shyly.

Mallow examined her, looking over her curiously. When she realized who it was, her face lit up.

"...Lillie?" she gasped. Lillie nodded.

Mallow pulled her into an awkward, one-armed hug, before stepping back to take another look at her.

"Man, I didn't think you'd ever be back! Look at you now!" Mallow grinned, with her hands on her hips. "You're a real trainer!" Lillie blushed.

"Say, Mallow, what're you doing on Melemele Island? Don't you and the others live on Akala?" Hau asked.

"We do, but I'm out on a snack run!" she replied.

Gladion tilted his head curiously. "All this way just for malasadas...?"

"Yup!" said Mallow, either oblivious to Gladion's snark or just not caring. "Hau'oli City is the only place to get Sweet Malasadas! Normally I wouldn't come all the way out here, but... they're Lana's favourite! I'd do anything for her," she added whistfully. After a moment lost in thought, Mallow suddenly perked up.

"Oh! Me and Lana and Kiawe are training in the Lush Jungle later this afternoon! You guys should come!"

"That sounds like fun," said Lillie.

"Yeah, count us in!" Moon added, throwing an arm around Lillie.

"Alright, I'll see you guys there!!" Mallow waved them off before marching out the door.

They seemed to have forgotten they were in the middle of a store, as they had just had an entire conversation in front of the cash register. The cashier cleared her throat impatiently, all the while trying to keep her cheery, happy-to-help demeanour.

"Oh, oops..." Lillie said, blushing a little.

"I'll have a Big Malasada, please!" Hau chimed in.

"Of course! Our Big Malasadas are, well, big, so be sure to share them with your Pokémon!"

"Sounds like a challenge," Hau smirked.

"It's really not," Gladion sighed, pushing past Hau. "Sweet Malasadas for the rest of us, I think?" Moon and Lillie nodded.

"Coming right up!"

In a flash, everyone had been served their malasadas, and they were leaving the store. Hau waited for Lillie to take a bite expectantly.

"Come on, come on, how is it?" he pushed. Lillie gave in and took a bite. She chewed for a bit, swallowed, and smiled.

"Tastes like Alola," she sighed happily.

"Yesss! They must taste even better after 5 years away from them," Hau said, through a mouth half full of malasada. "Man, I can't imagine going without malasadas for that long, I'd go crazy! You're one tough gal, Lillie."

"And _that's_ what you admire her for." Gladion rolled his eyes.

Moon picked up her pace. "Quit stalling, y'all," she said, "We gotta get the next boat to Akala!"

The gang made their way to the ferry terminal. After a relatively short boat ride, they arrived on Akala Island, and began making their way towards the Lush Jungle. The scenery was just as beautiful as Lillie remembered.

When they arrived at the mouth of the Jungle, they saw Mallow waiting for them.

"There you guys are!" she called.

"Hi Mallow!" Lillie called back, "I hope we didn't keep you waiting."

"No worries, we were just about to get started! C'mon!"

They followed Mallow into the Jungle, where Lana and Kiawe were waiting. Around them were three much younger girls that Lillie didn't recognize. They looked remarkably similar to Lana and Kiawe.

"Oh! Mallow told us you were back. How are you, Lillie?" Lana asked.

"I'm well, thank you," she replied.

Two of the younger girls, who had been hanging onto Lana's legs, had come out to inspect the group that had arrived. Gladion shifted uncomfortably.

"Suspicious..." one of them said, examining the rips on his jeans.

"Girls, be polite!" Lana warned. "Sorry about them. These are my little twin sisters, Sarah and Harper. They're going to train with us today."

Moon knelt down to meet the twins face to face. "I remember you!" she said, squishing Sarah's cheeks. Sarah kept the same deadpan expression. "Look at how much you've grown up since I battled you last time!"

"Moon, you sound like a mom," Hau laughed. Moon stuck out her tongue.

Lillie had approached the other young girl, who was waiting by Kiawe. She was holding a long stick, which had been fashioned into a point. She waved it at Lillie threateningly, causing her to back up a few feet.

"Oh! And, um... who's this little one?" she asked, caught off guard.

"This is my cute little sister, Mimo," Kiawe explained, grabbing the stick from her hands. "I hope you and her can become friends."

"Kiawe!!" Mimo whined, "Give me my stick back!"

"Where did you even find that?" Kiawe yelled, "It's dangerous! If you tripped and fell, then..."

"Mallow made it for me! It's for training today!"

"M-Mallow!?"

Mallow grinned sheepishly. "Oh! I, uh... When she said she needed sticks, I thought she meant the kind for marshmallows! You being Fire type trainers and all," she attempted to explain.

"Torches... we needed torches," Kiawe sighed. He turned to the three younger sisters. "You three, go find some sticks around the jungle. And if any wild Pokémon give you trouble," He tossed a Pokéball, and Mimo caught it in her hands. "Turtonator will help you out."

Sarah and Harper nodded, and set off into the jungle, moving in perfect sync. Mimo had to sprint in an attempt to catch up.

Once the three girls were probably out of earshot, Gladion sighed and seated himself on a dry stump. "I can't deal with little kids," he grumbled. Lana joined him, sitting on a patch of grass nearby.

"They may be a bother, but they're mine," Lana sighed. "We need to keep training with them. They're learning super fast."

"So, like, how long has this training thing been going on?" Hau asked.

"A few months," Kiawe said. "Me and the others are growing too old to keep being Trial Captains. So in order to keep the Island Challenge alive, we're passing the title on to our kin."

"It's hard to believe that the girls are growing up so fast," Lana sighed.

"I don't have any younger kids to take my place," said Mallow. "My brother was it before me, but I think my mom is done having kids." She thought for a moment. Her eyes lit up suddenly, as she was struck with an idea. "Say, Lillie!" she said, in the tone of voice you would expect from someone trying to sell you something. "You're a trainer now, right? How about giving the ol' Trial Captain thing a try?"

Lillie frantically waved her hands in front of her face. "Oh my gosh, no! No no no, no. I'm sorry, but no! I'd never be able to handle the pressure."

"Figures," said Mallow.

No later did they hear the three girls yelling, running out of the forest each with a few sticks under their arms.

"Big bro!!" Mimo yelled, almost toppling over.

"Hoshi, slow down," Kiawe yelled back, catching her as she ran by. "What's wrong?"

"Th-th-there!" Sarah and Harper shrieked in unison. They pointed to a large bush. It was rustling, and clearly there was a _very_ big Pokémon inside. Kiawe sent out his Turtonator.

"S-Show yourself!" he yelled at the bush, "Or there will be consequences!" Turtonator roared.

The rustling stopped, and the Pokémon poked its head out from the bush.

"It's an Oranguru," Moon said.

"Get out of here!" Mallow shouted, and she lobbed a Berry at it. It bounced off its head and back into the bushes.

"What a dope," Hau laughed. The Oranguru went back off into the bushes. Mallow clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright!" she said. "Now that we've got everything, Mimo’s training can begin!" Mimo did a salute, and went up to join her brother.

Kiawe picked up his torch, and his Turtonator used a Flamethrower to light both ends. Mimo picked up one of the sticks she and the twins had collected, and began twirling it like a baton.

"You're getting much better, Mimo!" Kiawe said, watching as she skillfully spun the stick above her head. Kiawe joined her with his own lit torch, soon enough they were dancing in perfect sync. Moon and Hau cheered them on, clapping a beat for them to follow. Watching the lit torch spinning through the air, tracing patterns as it went, was truly a sight to behold.

"This isn't the type of training I was expecting us to do," Lillie said, "But I'm definitely not complaining! Mimo would make a wonderful Trial Captain."

"I know," Kiawe replied, a tear in his eye, "I hate to say it, but one day, she will have to incorporate the flames into her dances as well. My poor baby sister-"

"Kiawe! I can handle it! I'll be super careful!"

"It's too dangerous!!" he barked. Mimo huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Watching is nice and all, but can we get on with it? I got an itch for battling," Moon whined impatiently.

Lana giggled. "I understand how you feel. How about a Double Battle? You and Lillie versus Mallow and I?"

"Alright!!" Moon pumped her fist in the air. Sarah and Harper had appeared behind Lana, and were tugging on the leg of her pants.

"Sis, we wanna play too," whined Sarah.

"Yeah, sis, when's our turn?" asked Harper. Lana ruffled both of their hair.

"You two can go play with the nice boys over there," Lana said, pointing to Hau and Gladion. Gladion froze up like a Deerling in headlights.

"Do I have t- ow, jeez!" He was interrupted by Hau elbowing him in the side. Before he knew it, the twins were all over him, attempting to grab at his hair and playing with the piercings in his ears.

"Where did sis manage to find a suspicious boy like this..." Harper murmured, tugging at the ripped hood of his jacket.

"Haha, this one gets it," Hau laughed, lowering to the ground to offer Harper a high-five. She didn't take him up on it.

Moon, Lillie, Mallow, and Lana assumed their places and prepared for battle. They fought long and hard, going well into the evening. Lana was the first to go down, with Lillie's Venusaur easily burning through her Water type Pokémon. The next to go down was Moon, who's Primarina fell quickly to Mallow's Grass types. The final showdown was between Lillie's Chansey and Mallow's Tsareena. The others had paused their respective training in order to see how this final battle would play out.

"Tsareena, Trop Kick!" Mallow called out. It leaped into the air, and flew forwards in an attempt to land an intense kick on Chansey.

"Chansey, look out!" Lillie yelled, and Chansey managed to roll out of the way at the last second.

"Good job! Now, hit her with an Egg Bomb!"

Chansey rolled itself upright, and flung the egg from its pouch towards the other Pokémon at full force. Tsareena failed to dodge, and was hit right in the body. It tumbled into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. When the dust cleared, it was revealed that Tsareena had fainted!

"Woo! Go, Lillie!" Moon cheered, rushing forward to swoop Lillie up in her arms, bridal style. Mallow laughed, before recalling her Tsareena to its Pokéball.

"That battle was a piece of cake for a strong trainer like you, wasn't it, Lillie?" she said, tucking her Pokéball back into her bag.

"Oh, I don't know about strong," Lillie said. She attempted to brush some of the dust from her clothes.

"Don't be ridiculous, Lils," Moon said, "The way you and your Pokémon fought was freakin' amazing! You guys were completely in sync!" She set Lillie back down, and she blushed.

When Lillie returned to the Professor's lab that night, she couldn't stop thinking about what Mallow and Moon had said. Being regarded as a strong trainer made her happy. After always being thought of as weak and unable to protect herself, winning a battle with such experienced trainers was satisfying. She felt this was a step in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had to edit it to change kiawe’s sister’s name from “hoshi” to her dub name, “mimo”  
> (i liked hoshi better but eehhhhhh consistency)  
> if i missed any name changes pls remind me hfgjdgnchj


	3. A Lesson in the Passion of Battle!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moon pays a visit to the Trainer's School. Lillie has an encounter with some unfamiliar feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally finished this chapter!! hope you enjoy, even if it took a bit longer!!!  
> also, if you can, please leave criticism in the comments! i always want to improve in my writing~~

Moon had been invited to attend the local Pokémon Trainer's School. Not as a student, but as a special guest. As the Champion of Alola, it wasn't unusual to get requests from different trainers looking for battle. She often got recognized on the street by starstruck Youngsters, who aspired one day to become Champion as well. Moon felt so proud that she almost couldn't bare to wipe out their team of Ratattas and Caterpies with a single Hydro Pump when they asked for a battle. That is, _almost._

 

Seeing how the young Trainers looked up to Moon, the teachers at the school had decided that Moon would be a good candidate to teach the kids a thing or two about battling. Moon had invited Lillie along, seeing as she liked little kids, and how the two of them had trained at the school themselves at the start of their first Pokémon journey. Lillie agreed to come.

 

Upon arriving at the door of the Trainer's School the next day, Moon was swarmed with students, half of them barely tall enough to reach her waist. Lillie giggled, staying back away from the crowd of Youngsters.

 

"Alright, alright, I know I'm Champion, b-but... whoa!" Moon stuttered out, almost losing her balance to the wave of toddlers running beneath her. Little kids always seemed inclined to make as much noise as humanly possible.

 

"Alright, that's enough!" a voice called out, and with a clap of their hands, the children calmed down.

 

"Captain Ilima!" One of the kids yelled back, and almost at once, the kids flocked over from Moon to Ilima and found a seat on the floor.

 

"Hey, Ilima!" Moon said, "Long time no see!"

 

"Greetings, Moon, and... Lillie, is it?" he addressed them, and Lillie nodded.

 

"Hello, Ilima! I don't think we've met properly before, but... I hope Moon bringing me along isn't too much trouble," she said, coming over to join Moon now that she wasn't surrounded by students.

 

"Oh, no, of course not! We could always use an extra pair of helping hands."

 

"Well, good, because I wouldn't have let you get rid of her!" Moon laughed, slinging her arm around Lillie's shoulder. Lillie giggled.

 

"We should go outside, if we're going to be training," Lillie suggested, eager to get this lesson into action.

 

"Right, right," Moon nodded, "Alright, kids, follow me!"

 

The group made their way out to the court in front of the school. Moon hobbled up to the front of the class, standing on a box to make herself seem taller. The kids settled down, finding their own seats in rows on the dry ground. Moon clapped her hands to signify the start of the lesson.

 

"Alright! So, uh, the first step to becoming a strong Trainer like me is... uh..." she trailed off, making it clear that she hadn't planned for this at all. "Oh, yeah! Type advantages! Now, who can tell me what's super effective against uh... Fire type!"

 

The kids erupted into mumbling answers, so much so that Moon could barely make out their words.

 

"Uh... if y'all could like, raise your hands," she stuttered. Soon enough the group had quieted down and was patiently waited for Moon's instruction.

 

"You, that one!" Moon pointed to a young girl, sitting cross legged in the front row. "What type Pokémon would you use against a Fire type?"

 

"Poison type!" she said confidently, a determined look in her eye.

 

"I, uh," Moon rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "That's kinda... not... the right answer."

 

The girl looked heartbroken. Ilima stepped in.

 

"That's not entirely true," Ilima said, attempting to comfort her, "She likes Grimer, so she probably would use a Poison type regardless."

 

"Oh! Yeah, I like Grimer too! Probably should've worded that better, let's see, uh..." She looked over the crowd again.

 

"You!" She pointed to a young boy sitting near Ilima. "What's _super effective_ against Fire type!"

 

"Water type!" he said.

 

"Yes!! Yeah, that's the answer I was looking for, because I got a Water type right here!" She rummaged around for a Pokéball in her bag, and after finding it, tossed it to the ground, sending out her Primarina. She chuckled to herself as she watched the looks of amazement on the kids' faces. Since they lived on Route 1, they probably never seen such a strong Pokémon before!

 

"Yeah, she's pretty great," Moon hummed, loving the positive attention.

 

"Can we pet her?" one student asked.

 

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Moon said, and Primarina gave her a look. Moon looked back sternly, as if to say 'Come on, just go with it'.

 

Soon enough the class was swarming around Primarina, much to the Pokémon's dismay. Moon had a feeling she would have to use lots of PokéBeans in order to be forgiven. Eh, whatever.

 

"Yeah, and if you think she's cool now, wait 'till you see her in battle! When I pull out the Z-Moves, it's like-" She attempted to imitate the Water type Z-Pose, "And then Primarina goes into _full power,_ like-" She raised her arms in a dramatic imitation of Primarina's Sparkling Aria. She continued her explanation of Z-Moves, the kids genuine wonder and excitement only fuelling her to continue. Eventually, Lillie had tuned out Moon's rambling and sound effects. She found herself wondering how the number one Champion Trainer in all of Alola managed to be such a dork. Ilima noticed her far off daze.

 

"At the very least, the students are enjoying it," he said quietly to Lillie. She giggled. He was right, Moon had a sense of enthusiasm that managed to leave all the rambunctious students silently starstruck. Moon continued her speech, seeming to have moved onto explaining the Poison type Z-Move for the Grimer girl from earlier. Moon certainly was good at appealing to kids. Maybe it was because she was still a child at heart as well.

 

"You admire her too, huh?" Ilima hummed, bringing Lillie out of her trance. She flushed.

 

"W-Was I staring?" she stuttered out. Ilima laughed.

 

"I don't blame you, Lillie. She's quite the powerful Trainer."

 

Lillie sighed. Moon's depictions of battle were entertaining, but rather than hearing the words, Lillie had been listening to the sound of Moon's voice. The genuine love and excitement in her tone was incredible. Lillie loved battling alongside her Pokémon, but sometimes after a difficult battle, she felt like she wasn't strong enough. She felt like giving up. Moon would _never_ be like that. Even after all these years being Champion, and many tough battles, Moon was still so confident in her power. She never doubted herself, she was always just as excited to take on a battle as she had been that first day, years ago. How does she do it?

 

Lillie could only nod in response to Ilima. She tried to think of something to ask him, not wanting him to go quiet again. Being alone in her own thoughts regarding Moon felt... weird.

 

"So, Ilima," she began, "You're a teacher now?"

 

Ilima chuckled. "I am, yes. After completing my rounds as a Trial Captain, the Kahuna set out in order to find someone new to fill the position. It was only natural for me to return to the Trainer's School to pass on my knowledge."

 

"Wow..." Lillie sighed. She couldn't imagine what kind of job she would get once she was older. She made enough money from Gym Battles as is, but once she grew up...

 

She decided not to let it bother her.

 

Moon's 'lesson' seemed to be coming to an end. The sun was setting, and even Moon was getting tired. After a while, a school bell rung, meaning the end of the day. Just as quickly as they had arrived, the students picked themselves off the ground, gathered their belongings, and made their way out of the front gates. Moon could only watch as the wave of children flowed past her. Ilima laughed as he watched them go.

 

"Well, I'm going to see that they make it home safely. What you two do with the rest of your evening is up to you." He followed the last of the children out the front gate, leaving Lillie and Moon alone in the dust. Moon laughed.

 

"That was something! I don't think I've ever seen that many kids in one place."

 

"Even so, you make a great teacher," Lillie said softly.

 

"You think?"

 

"Of course! You know a lot about Z-Moves, even if you conveyed most of the battle through sound effects," she giggled.

 

"I thought I did a good job getting the _feeling_ of battle across, you know? Even without all the technical terms, I felt like it was fun."

 

"Ilima couldn't have picked a better teacher."

 

Moon smiled. Then, she hesitated for moment, chewing her thumb, before speaking again.

 

"Oh! Lillie, I forgot to ask, but... would you wanna stay at my house tonight? Like..." she paused and tried to read Lillie's expression. Seemed clear. "My mom's been wanting to see you since you came back, and like, we're so close by, so I just thought-"

 

"Yes!" Lillie blurted out. "I mean, yes, that'd be good. I'd like that."

 

Moon's face lit up. "Sweet! Come on," she said, grabbing Lillie's hand and pulling her towards the gate. Lillie stumbled before she could catch up with Moon's speedy pace. The two of them sprinted down the street, passing by a few kids on their way, before they arrived at Moon's house. Moon was pleased to find that the door had been left open, allowing her and Lillie easy access.

 

"I'm home~!" Moon called, and within a few moments, Moon's mom sauntered out of her bedroom to greet her daughter. Upon seeing Lillie, her entire face lit up.

 

"Lillie! It's been a while, how've you been?" she asked with a warm smile.

 

"I've been well! Especially since I've been back here in Alola," Lillie said, her smile equally as bright.

 

"I'm glad to hear it! You make yourself right at home, alright?"

 

Lillie nodded, and followed Moon into her bedroom. Her room was well kept, with her things laid out neatly on shelves and in drawers. Lillie was surprised to find that Moon _still_ hadn't unpacked all of her boxes since she first moved to Alola 5 years ago. Another thing Lillie noticed about her room was that there were toys _everywhere_. Strewn across the desk, the floor, and the bed were various stuffed animals and figurines.

 

"Here it is!" Moon said proudly. "Home of the one and only Champion of Alola!"

 

Lillie giggled at Moon's over dramatic introduction. She made her way over to the bed, and sat with her back to the headboard. She sighed, not having realized how tired she had been from all the commotion at the Trainer's School.

 

"You have a lot of plushies," Lillie noted.

 

Moon blushed, realizing how childish her room seemed from the eyes of another person. "I haven't had the heart to get rid of 'em," she mumbled, fiddling with her hair.

 

"I-It's not a bad thing!!" Lillie corrected. "I just wasn't expecting it, is all. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I-In fact, I think it's cute..." she added softly.

 

"You think so?" Moon said with a sheepish grin. "I might let you have one, if you want. Take your pick!"

 

"Are you sure?" asked Lillie.

 

"Of course! You gave me your Pokédoll before you left, it's the least I could do to repay you."

 

"Okay, if you insist!" Lillie scanned the room for one she particularly liked, one that would remind her of Moon. She finally settled on an oddly realistic Kantonian Meowth plush that was curled up at the end of the bed. Before she could tell Moon that she found one however, the Meowth purred and leaped out of her arms, startling her. She fell back onto the bed with a squeak.

 

"Meowth!" Moon said, scolding but amused. "Hate to disappoint, Lils, but he's not up for grabs." Meowth scampered off into a corner of the room.

 

Lillie flustered, slightly embarrassed. "Maybe I'll pick one later," she said.

 

"If you say so!" Moon grinned, flopping down beside Lillie to sit on the bed. "So, how's everything been since you came back?"

 

"It's different, but also kind of the same," she mused. "Everyone is just like I remember them, but older, and wiser... maybe."

 

"Am I wiser?" Moon grinned.

 

"Well, not in a traditional sense."

 

"I don't even know what you're talking about," she huffed, still grinning. All of a sudden, Moon noticed the time on the clock. 11 pm.

 

"Yo, Lillie, you getting sleepy yet?"

 

Seeing how late it was, Lillie decided that sleep would be best for them. She suddenly realized that she hadn't brought pyjamas with her. She shifted around in her dress uncomfortably.

 

Moon noticed. "Oh! I probably have some spare jammies for you. They might be a little short on you, since you're _so freakin' tall_ , but," she said, digging through her wardrobe drawers, "It's gonna be the best we can do without going back to the Professor's lab." After a moment, she pulled out a long pink nightgown. "This'll do!"

 

Lillie took the nightgown from Moon's hands, and layed it over her lap. "Oh, thank you!" she beamed, "What about for yourself?"

 

"Oh, right!" Moon said with a snap of her fingers. "Lemme just-"

 

With little struggle, Moon managed to wriggle out of her bra through her shirt. _Well then_.

 

"Sometimes it's comfiest to sleep in a t-shirt, ya know?" she announced through an accomplished grin. Absolutely shameless.

 

"Oh, right," she continued, "The bathroom is just down the hall, you should go get changed too!"

 

"Ah- yes, you're right," Lillie said, and with that she made her way out into the bathroom. When she turned on the light, she saw that Meowth had decided that the bathtub would be a good resting place.

 

"Oh, Meowth, you can't sleep in there," Lillie sighed, and she quickly scooped the cat Pokémon up in her arms and shooed him out the door. Meowth didn't object to being moved with more than a few mumbles of disapproval. Lillie shut the door behind her as to not be disturbed by him again, and began changing into the flowy pink nightgown Moon had provided her with. When she was done, she took a quick look in the tall standing mirror in the room's corner. Due to the height difference between her and Moon, the gown barely reached above her knees, but it'd do. She then began to wonder if Moon had worn this same nightgown before, but she quickly banished those thoughts.

 

When she returned to Moon's room, the girl was sprawled out lazily on her bed, scrolling through her phone. It appeared that she'd changed into some comfier pants while Lillie was out. Noticing Lillie's entrance, Moon perked up.

 

"Oh, hey! There you are, you were taking forever, haha."

 

"Your Meowth was asleep in the bathtub, so I had to get him out first," Lillie explained with a chuckle.

 

"So cute!! Wonder where he went now..." Moon pondered for a moment, before checking the clock again. It was nearing 11:30 at this point. "Say, Lillie, are you getting tired at all?" she said with a yawn.

 

"Oh, you're right, it's getting late! Come on then," Lillie said, hopping up to sit back beside Moon on the bed. Moon grinned and tucked her phone away on her nightstand, before pulling back the blankets for Lillie to climb in. As soon as Lillie was beginning to get comfy, Moon flicked off the lights, and very suddenly the room was nearly completely black. The only light was the gentle blue glow of moonlight, pouring in ever so subtly through the large window. It took a second for her eyes to adjust, and when she got used to the dim lighting, Lillie could finally see Moon, laying in front of her on the other side of the bed. The moonlight managed to catch a certain highlight in her eyes which gave her a wild look, and that partnered with her big smile was enough to make Lillie flush in surprise. It looked like Moon was barely holding back a laugh.

 

"What?" Lillie asked with a flustered giggle, after Moon had been staring for so long.

 

"Did I say something?" Moon's face suddenly turned pink as well.

 

"No, you didn't, and that's the thing I'm worried about!"

 

"Ah," Moon sighed, suddenly relieved. "Must've just been talking in my head then, don't mind me! G'night, Lils." She rolled over so that Lillie could no longer see her face. What was she thinking about? Lillie wasn't able to ask, as only minutes later did she hear Moon begin to softly snore. Lillie was too tired to dwell on it however, as she more than anything wanted it to be morning already. She turned over as well, and closing her eyes, she tried her best to silence her racing mind


	4. Impatience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nebby does not stay in the bag.

Lillie's efforts to fall asleep had been futile. For whatever reason, her head was spinning, even at... what time was it? Lillie found the energy to lift her head from her pillow. The digital clock on Moon's desk read well past 1 am. She sighed, and only after checking and then double checking that Moon was sound asleep, she sat up fully and climbed out of bed.

 

The bed squeaked as it shifted back into place, and Lillie winced at the sudden sound. Then, her steps light as a feather as not to make any unnecessary noise, she checked Moon once more. Sure enough, the girl's gentle breaths were still heavy with sleep. Her only movements were the slow rise and fall of her chest as she snored, and the ever so subtle twitching of her eyelids. Lillie wondered if she was dreaming. There was something angelic about Moon as she slept, something that you couldn't quite observe when she was awake. As cute and energetic as she was when she was running around during the day, there was something extra beautiful about seeing her completely at peace. Lillie wasn't sure which side of Moon she liked more.

 

A switch suddenly flipped in Lillie's head, and she remembered that the longer she hung around, the further she pushed the risk of getting caught awake. Not that getting caught by Moon would be a necessarily _bad_  thing, but embarrassing nonetheless.

 

With the thought of getting caught so fresh in her mind, even the slightest noises sounded like a stampede to Lillie. Every tiny movement she made, the rustle of the Pokémon in the grass outside, that weird, low-pitched humming... wait, what? Lillie could've sworn that the strange humming noise had been her imagination, but now that she was fully awake, she could tell that the sound was coming from somewhere in the room. Perhaps this was what woke her up. Well, this wouldn't do. If the annoying vibrating sound didn't stop soon, it might disturb Moon's precious slumber. On a mission to let the other girl get a good nights sleep, Lillie began to investigate, using her keen ears. Eventually, she traced the buzzing noise back to something in Moon's bag. Overcome with curiosity, she didn't think to ask Moon what it was, and instead reached in to pull out the object. It turned out to be what looked like a normal Pokéball. The only abnormal thing about it was how it was moving. Upon Lillie's touch, the humming from the Pokéball only seemed to increase in volume. It wobbled back and forth in her hand. Whatever was in this ball couldn't be just any ordinary Pokémon.

 

Wanting to confirm her suspicions, she carefully made her way to the open window. But before she could climb out into the yard, however, her eyes caught Moon, still sound asleep. Just in case she was gone longer than she expected, Lillie swiped a pink sticky note from Moon's desk and scrawled a message on it in pen.

 

_I couldn't sleep, so I went out for a walk. Back soon!_

_~ Lillie_

 

It wasn't entirely a lie. She smiled and stuck it onto Moon's nightstand where she hoped it would be visible, and then continued her little quest. The noisy Pokéball in one hand, she hoisted herself up onto the windowsill, kicking one leg, two legs out onto the grass outside. It tickled against her bare feet. Making sure she was just slightly concealed by the trees, Lillie sat down in the grass cross legged and layed the Pokéball down in front of her.

 

"You can come out now," she whispered, "I know it's you."

 

The Pokémon inside seemed pleased with having Lillie's attention. It rocked a few times, waiting, before the legendary Pokémon decided to free itself on its own. A 13 foot tall beast emerged from the tiny ball silently, the only noise being a slow flap of its giant galactic wings. And right there, in front of Lillie, stood the Legendary Pokémon Lunala, the same creature that Lillie had rescued from the Aether Foundation all those years ago. Lillie smiled up at her old friend fondly.

 

"I had a feeling. Was that your way of calling out to me from your Pokéball?" Lillie giggled softly, "Nebby, you're just as crafty as ever."

 

Lunala hummed contently in response. Lillie was almost sure it could understand her. After all, Pokémon were most of the time even more intelligent than humans. Lillie stood up and made her way over to the beast, and as she did, it leaned down to her level. She reached up to rest her hand fondly on its snout.

 

"I'm afraid I can't stay out long... I don't want Moon to wake up and find me missing. But I can ask her about it in the morning, alri- whoa, whoa!!" She was interrupted by an impatient flap of Lunala's wings. She sighed. Nebby was as defiant as ever. "I... I think I get it. But if we're going, then we _have_ to be quick. Just in case Moon-" At the mention of Moon's name, Lunala let out another cry. "P-Please keep your voice down!!!" Lillie squeaked.

 

Lunala lowered itself down, low enough for Lillie to get a hold on one of its wings. She hoisted herself up onto the Legendary Pokémon's back, and finally, Lunala broke into a full on flight, taking Lillie into the air with it. Lillie held onto the Pokémon's back as tight as she could. It seemed they were only airborne for a few minutes before they landed at their destination: the Altar of the Moone. Lillie carefully lowered herself off the back of Lunala, and made her way into the center of the Altar. She sat down cross-legged and sighed wistfully. She felt the Pokémon silently come up behind her, casting a shadow.

 

"I remember the first time being here. Did you miss it too, Nebby?" she glanced behind her to see Lunala staring up at the full moon in the sky. Lillie looked up too. It shone brightly, almost sparkling. This scene had to be one of the prettiest things Lillie had ever seen.

 

"Or... did you miss somewhere else?"

 

Lunala made a noise that could only be described as a sigh. Lillie wondered whether or not to ask _where_ the Legendary Pokémon originated from, but she didn't expect to get much of an answer out of something that couldn't talk. She stayed quiet for a few minutes, just watching the moon slowly rising in the sky. Until Lillie broke the silence.

 

"When I first met Moon... I mean, five years ago... I was a completely different person. I was way less confident, some might even say weak, or... small, in a metaphorical way. And you were, too, Nebby! But with Moon's help, you evolved from a small, fragile Pokémon into the incredible Legendary Pokémon Lunala. I like to think that Moon changed me in a similar way. I don't think I would have ever been strong enough to go on my own Pokémon journey if I hadn't met her... I owe so much to her. I admire her so much. She changed me, she changed you, and well... recently, I think she changed me in a different way."

 

She trailed off at the end. She was rambling, to a Pokémon no less. But looking back, she noticed Lunala's knowing gaze, and felt encouraged to continue.

 

"Well... something _inside_ of me changed. I feel something towards her that I didn't know I could feel before. You know what I mean, right?" Her face was dusted bright red, and her ears were hot. She had never admitted something like that out loud before. She felt like a little kid, getting a crush for the first time. God, a crush. That's what it was, wasn't it? At least Lunala understood her. Suddenly, she realized how silly this whole thing was, and giggled to herself. She stood up suddenly.

 

"Keep it a secret, alright, Nebby?"

 

Lunala stayed put as she stepped down from the stone platform they had been resting on. She blinked a few times as dim light from the sun finally began to peek out from over the horizon. Her eyes had little time to adjust before she saw something flying towards her. Suddenly, the creature landed, and was revealed to be two creatures: one Charizard, and one human. Immediately she recognized Moon, running towards her. Lillie felt a bit of guilt tug at her heart, having left Moon without a warning, but before it had time to register within her Lillie was in Moon's arms in an almost desperately tight hug.

 

"Lillie, Lillie oh my God!" Moon choked, clutching onto Lillie like her life depended on it. Lillie wasn't used to seeing Moon in this state. Instinctively, she wrapped her free arm around the shorter girl. That seemed to bring her back to reality, as Moon quickly pulled away.

 

"There you are, oh my God, I woke up and you weren't there and..." Moon panted and looked up at Lillie, practically teary eyed. It took all of Lillie's strength not to shyly look away. "I had no idea where you were! But then Meowth shook me up and showed me... Nebb- I mean Lunala's Pokéball was missing, and you were too, so I came to the conclusion and _thank God I was right_ , hah..." Moon took a few deep breaths before finally stepping away. She turned towards Lunala on the pedestal.

 

"And _you!_ " Moon huffed, "I was gonna let you see Lillie eventually! So impatient as usual... I mean, I don't blame you for wanting to see her so bad, but..."

 

"No, no, it's my fault," Lillie sighed, "I should've woken you up before heading out like that. I'm sorry, Moon. I worried you."

 

"C'mon, Lils, you don't gotta take the blame like that... you're too good," Moon said, taking Lillie by the hand to lead her back to the flight Charizard.

 

"You didn't see my note?"

 

"Your what?"

 

Lillie giggled at that, and found herself clutching onto Moon's hand a bit tighter. As the two of them boarded the Charizard, out of the corner of her eye, Lillie could've sworn she saw Lunala wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAN ok i took a break from writing for a while, hence the huge break between chapters, but now im back babey!!!! lets go!!!!!! next chapter's gonna be haudion so get ready!


	5. Shady House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladion catches up with some old acquaintances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! before this one i just noticed i reached 100 kudos and over 1500 hits, which seems like a lot! i hope everyone is enjoying my story, lol. if you have an idea for how i could improve my writing, or an idea for another story/chapter i could write, please leave a comment!
> 
> also, this chapter there are a lot of team skull grunts. so to avoid just saying "the pink haired girl", "the blue haired boy" etc over and over, i gave some of them names and different hair colors, so i hope its not distracting or anything!!!!

That morning, Gladion awoke to the annoying sound of his text tone. Grumbling, he rolled out of bed, flicked on his phone, and had to rub his eyes at the sudden brightness in the still dark room. When he could finally see clearly, he had to fight the urge to just shut his phone off and go back to sleep. What the _hell_  was Hau doing up early?

 

_Today, 8:22 AM_

_malasada world champ: yo glad wanna come see a haunted house w/ me_

_Gladion: Why is your name that_

_malasada world champ: answer the question_

_Gladion: Wouldn't you rather ask Moon?_

_malasada world champ: I did but she's out w/ lillie today... she said not to disturb her (lol) and besides we've barely talked since lillie left_

 

Gladion didn't quite know what to make of that, sure, the two of them had somewhat fallen apart after their last adventure and wait what was with that _"lol"_ thrown in there? Before he could question it another text from Hau lit up his phone:

 

_And with how you dress all the time i thought you'd like to go somewhere spooky lol_

_Gladion: And what's that supposed to mean?_

_Today, 8:26 AM, Gladion's nickname was changed to "fun hater"._

_fun hater: ugh_

_fun hater: You're annoying_

_malasada world champ: you love it tho :P_

_malasada world champ: meet me at the ferry terminal in like, 20 min_

_malasada world champ: we goin on a trip boyy_

 

And with that, Gladion shut off his phone, leaving Hau's last messages unanswered. How long did he say, twenty minutes? Surely that would be enough time to get ready. Would Hau wait for him? He wasn't _seriously_  expecting Gladion to go along with this, right? Despite how much he told himself he hated Hau's childlike, optimistic behaviour, something inside him couldn't stand the thought of Hau sadly waiting at the terminal despite Gladion never arriving, looking like a kicked puppy. Out of potential guilt and totally, _d_ _efinitely_ not anything else, Gladion rolled out of bed and pulled on his usual black hoodie and pants, combed his hair in place over one eye, and got ready to head out.

 

-

 

About twenty minutes later, Hau was pleasantly surprised to see Gladion stepping out of the ferry terminal, just as promised.

 

"Heeey, Gladion! I almost didn't expect you to come, haha," Hau said way too cheerfully, slapping Gladion on the back... affectionately. Gladion nearly fell forwards, but quickly corrected himself. Blushing, he tried to hide his face in his usual pose. Let's hope Hau didn't notice that-

 

"Oops," Hau laughed. Dangit. "I do that with Moon all the time! You gotta work on your upper body strength or somethin', man." Why did he talk so much?

 

"You're _really_ pushing it," Gladion scowled.

 

"Alright, alright, I get it. Let's go!" He pulled out the Ride Pager and punched in the number to summon a Charizard.

 

"We aren't taking the ferry?"

 

"Oh yeah, I changed my mind! I usually take the ferry, but I thought it'd be quicker to take a Ride Pokémon. For your convenience, is all." He waved the Ride Pager in the air as a Charizard flew by and landed with a flap of its wings down in front of them, kicking up dust. Hau pet the Pokémon's snout, and it sweetly closed its eyes and leaned into his hand. Hau laughed.

 

"I try to make friends with all the Ride Pokémon I call. That's not weird, is it?"

 

"No, no, it's good. You need to treat your Pokémon just like you would any other person. It's no different from thanking someone like a taxi driver for their services," Gladion replied. He would know more than anyone what treating Pokémon like objects led to. Hau smirked.

 

"So, you care about some things after all," he said as he climbed onto the Charizard. "C'mon."

 

"How am I supposed to...?"

 

"Come ooon, Charizards are strong. She can take more than one passenger!" Hau reached his hand out towards the other boy encouragingly. Reluctantly, Gladion took his hand, and let Hau pull him up onto the Charizard's back behind him.

 

"Hold on," Hau ordered.

 

"You've got the handles, where do you expect me to-"

 

"To _me_ , dummy. Unless you wanna fall into the ocean."

 

"Hmph, I think I'd rather fall off."

 

"Your loss then! Just don't come crying to me when you break your neck, haha. Lets go, Charizard!" he shouted, and with almost no hesitation, the huge Pokémon kicked off into the sky with a burst of wind. On reflex, Gladion threw his arms around Hau's middle to narrowly avoid falling. Hau glanced back at him with an insufferably accomplished face.

 

"See, I knew you wanted to hold me," he laughed.

 

"Sh-Shut up! What's that even mean?" He was cut off as Charizard boldly dived, heading almost straight down before pulling up again, showing off.

 

"Woo! That gave me goosebumps," Hau called, barely audible over the wind. "Charizard riding is one of the funnest thing ever!" His heart jumped. Gladion wasn't afraid of heights or anything, but still, he couldn't help but lean his face into Hau's shoulder and close his eyes. He tightened his grip around the larger boy as the Charizard dived again, deeper than before. With his eyes closed, he could almost tune out the roaring of the wind. There was something peaceful about it, soaring along on the back of a Pokémon with someone else. He felt like he could fall asleep at any moment. He leaned further into Hau's shoulder, fitting like a puzzle piece. For some reason, Hau was completely silent for the rest of the ride.

 

They arrived shortly, landing up on the Northern part of Ula'ula island. Gladion quickly recognized in front of them the gate to Po Town.

 

"Phew! What a ride," Hau sighed. He hopped off the Charizard's back, and found a green Pokébean in his pocket to feed it. Gladion stared dumbfounded.

 

"Hau, you said you wanted to take me to a haunted house?"

 

"That miiight have been an extension of the truth," Hau admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "It is pretty spooky though! It's more like a Shady House than a haunted one."

 

"Yeah, no. I don't know _what_ you were thinking to bring me here. I'm staying out here."

 

Hau pouted. "C'mon, Glad, what's so bad about it? I've been coming here every week for pretty much 3 years, everything's cool now! No one'll even try to battle us if I'm with you."

 

"Y-You _do_ know that I used to be a member of Team Skull, right? Even back then, the guys hated me. They treated me like I was a little kid, and like they were better than me, and... ugh. I just think this is a terrible idea," he retaliated.

 

"No way, that's a good thing! The gang is doing waaay better now! I'm sure there were just some misunderstandings between you guys... I can't see why anyone would hate you, even if I do act like it, haha."

 

"Hmph... you should hate me. You would if you were smart," mumbled Gladion. Hau's smile suddenly disappeared from his face, and was replaced with a look of... pity? No, empathy. He put his hand on Gladion's shoulder and got an arms length away from him, looking eye to eye.

 

"Hey man, look. I dunno why you would think _anyone_  should hate you, especially not me. I mean, even if you act cold, it's obvious when you really love something. I'm sure the gang was the same way. I'm sure they were just... showing their love in a different way. Just try to give them a second chance, 'kay?"

 

Gladion looked blank for a moment, not wanting to break from Hau's gaze. He wasn't really used to being close up like this. Realizing he was staring, he turned suddenly, crossing his arms with a _hmph_.

 

"I... I guess I could. Maybe. Don't make a big deal out of it, is all."

 

"Yes! Don't worry, if they start saying anything mean to you again, we can leave right away. And I'll have a strong word with 'em next time!"

 

Gladion smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Hau led the way, and the two of them pushed through the gates into Po Town. Contrary to the last time Gladion had been here, it was only lightly raining, as opposed to the usual heavy downpour. Despite the drizzle, there were spots of sunlight shyly peeking out from the clouds. Team Skull graffiti littered the ground and walls, but they were accompanied by several cute drawings of Pokémon. The place had been cleaned up quite a bit. The hedges had been tended to, any building damage had been patched up (albeit crudely, mostly with duct tape), and the garbage that usually piled up in corners had been removed. A few recycling bins had been installed as well. It certainly was the most welcoming gang headquarters Gladion had ever been in.

 

None of this could distract from the huge mansion at the end of the path, though. It was considerably less scary when it was drenched in sunlight. As they approached the mansion however, the knot in Gladion's stomach grew bigger. Surely the gang would remember the scrawny 11 year old blonde kid who never dressed in uniform, right? He was pretty hard to miss. He clenched his fists as they reached the front of the building, where two blue haired teens were digging a hole in the dirt with big shovels.

 

"So, dude, what's this stupid hole for, anyways?" one of them asked the other.

 

"I'm gonna plant a tree here, bro."

 

"Eh? That's lame, what're you plantin' a tree for?"

 

"A symbol of our friendship, bro, because... it grows stronger every day..."

 

He clutched his heart. "B-Bro..." It sounded like he was moments away from tears.

 

"Hey guys!" Hau interrupted. Both of them perked up. The second one rubbed his eyes and sniffled.

 

"Yo, Hau!" the first one waved back at him. "Hey everyone, Hau's back! And he brought a friend!!"

 

Soon enough, at least a half dozen more punks with brightly colored hair poured out of the building, fawning over Hau and bumping into eachother in an attempt to talk with him first. A few ruffled up his hair or tried to give him a hug.

 

"Haha, c'mon guys, chill for a bit! We got company, 'kay?"

 

The crowd quickly backed off at Hau's command, and immediately they were on their knees apologizing.

 

"I-I'm sorry, dude! I didn't mean to overwhelm you guys, I'm so sorry, oh my gosh," a short pink haired girl pleaded in front of him.

 

"Um... please don't cry, Jolene! We can still have fun today!" Hau quickly consoled her. She seemed to immediately bounce back.

 

"Yay!" The pink haired girl, who was apparently named Jolene, grabbed Hau in a tight hug. Gladion just watched in awe. He never would've expected the once mean and nasty Team Skull to be so openly affectionate, especially not to someone as happy-go-lucky as Hau. Jolene turned to Gladion next. "Who's this lil punk? Do I... know you from somewhere!?" She examined him closely, getting up in his face. He backed up defensively and almost tripped again. Hau didn't have a chance to step in before they were interrupted by the arrival of a tall, wild-haired woman in a bandana. The (ex?) Team Skull Admin, Plumeria.

 

"There you are, Gladion. Nice to see you're still in one piece." Welp, that was his cover blown.

 

"Big sis! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I was being intrusive again, I... aaah!!!" Jolene cried, jumping back from Gladion. She bowed dramatically, in some sort of apology.

 

"Have you been talking smack to my cute little sis, huh, Gladion? That's what this is?" she snarled at him, and he shivered.

 

"I... I don't..." Gladion stammered.

 

Hau huffed. "Plum, I thought we were working on being nice!"

 

"Relax. I'm joking. C'mere, dummy," she said, approaching Gladion with open arms. Finally, she pulled him into an only somewhat awkward hug. "Welcome back, lil dude." she whispered. Gladion immediately tensed, not quite used to receiving physical affection. It was nice, though. Jolene approached them again, puzzled.

 

"Gladion? Which one was that? You don't love him more than me, right, big sis?"

 

"Course not. You know I love all you cute little idiots equally."

 

"Oh, wait, now I remember! You were the kid I used to bully!" a male Grunt yelled out. Gladion grimaced.

 

"Yeah, uh, thanks for that. Didn't help the fact that I joined a gang at age eleven that you guys would berate me at every chance you got," he said snarkily.

 

"Oh, sorry lil bro... we didn't mean to mess you up like that, honest! I mean, we just treat the gang like a family, and-"

 

"And that's roughhousing included!" another Grunt butted in.

 

Hau smiled. "See, I told you they didn't hate you!"

 

"D-Don't tell them that!" Gladion barked.

 

"Hate you? You do realize that's impossible, right?" Plumeria grinned. "I love all of my cute little henchmen the same~"

 

"No, not henchmen, _friends!_  Everyone is friends here!" Hau corrected her.

 

"And don't you forget it~" she continued, ignoring Hau completely. Hau sighed.

 

"Aaanyways, how 'bout we check out the inside of this place? Besides, I wanna see how much you've cleaned up since last time I was here! The outside looks beautiful so far, too!"

 

"Yer makin' me blush, man," a blue haired kid said from somewhere in the back.

 

"It's true though! C'mon, let's give Gladion a tour! The gang seemed to agree that this was a good idea. Soon enough, Gladion found himself being pulled along by the enthusiastic crowd. Immediately, he could see how much the place had been improved since last time: the place that was usually full of peeling wallpaper and overturned furniture had been completely remade, almost as good as new. A table was set up somewhere by the entrance, and there two female Skull Grunts were finger painting.

 

"Hey guys! What are you drawing today?"

 

"I drew my best friend in the whole world!" the blue haired girl announced proudly, holding up a page full of pink and black smudges in a vaguely humanoid shape. The pink haired girl next to her began to fluster up.

 

"Oh man, Berry, that's..." she gasped, hands clasped over her already masked mouth in surprise.

 

"Sooo, what did you draw, Ronnie?"

 

"Oh! I, um, what I drew... well, I can't exactly say it out loud, hehe~"

 

"What? C'mon, lemme see!" Berry leaned over her friend's shoulder to get a peek at her paper. She studied the artwork for a moment before realization hit her. Her face turned red suddenly. "Ronnie! That's lewd!" Ronnie just grinned and stuck her tongue out.

 

"I mean, you could probably turn it into a weird lookin' Blaziken if you really wanted," Berry continued, "Lemme have a try. See, you just add legs like this..." The two girls then started their first collaborative project, painting together.

 

"Uh, maybe we should leave them to it," Hau muttered, excusing him and Gladion from the scene. They continued down the hall, before running into another Grunt with lime green hair. He squinted, looking between Hau and Gladion wordlessly. After a minute, he finally spoke up.

 

"...Gladion's back?"

 

"Just visiting."

 

"Cool," he said, before he turned back to the boys' room. "Hey, guys, Gladion's back!" No sooner did three other boys with primary colored hair rush out to meet them.

 

"Heeeeyy, Gladion! Long time no see!" the red one greeted.

 

"No hard feelings, yeah?" the blue one piped in.

 

"You got tall," the yellow one said, flushing.

 

"We all missed you sooo much, man!"

 

"And not just 'cause we missed teasing you!"

 

"Like... super tall."

 

"I uh... thanks, I guess," Gladion stammered, not exactly sure how to respond to all of it at once.

 

"Don't worry though! Even if he's taller, he's still the same lil Gladdy, right?" Hau teased, poking Gladion in the side and making him jump.

 

"Hau... never call me that again."

 

"It was funny though, right?"

 

"I mean, kinda," the first Grunt admitted. Gladion shot him a glare.

 

"See ya later, Gladdy!" the second one laughed, "Gotta get back to work cleanin' up our room!" He struck a pose on his way out. The third guy followed him. The four Grunts were still audible behind the closed door:

 

"So tall... He's like, 90% legs at this point, how's that happen?"

 

"Shut up, man, we all know you're into th-a-ah!! Hey, don't hit me!" Commotion could be heard from the other side. "Come on, I was kidding!"

 

"Gotta admit, it was pretty funn- AAAAH!!! Don't rope me into this!"

 

Soon enough all four of them could be heard fighting, directly contradicting the lessons of friendship and respect Hau had been teaching the gang prior.

 

"Ah, well..." Hau sighed, "I'm not even gonna ask. But is there _anyone_  willing to act _normal_  for a minute?! We have a  _guest_ , people!"

 

As if on queue, a short pale girl with long dark hair peeked her head out from a crack in the door to the girls' room. "I'd be willing to try." Two much taller pink haired girls shoved the door all the way open, causing the pale one to stumble and nearly trip.

 

"Kyaaaah!! Nanette-chan is so scary!"

 

"Nanette, would you do a fortune telling for me, too? I wanna find my first love~"

 

Nanette shyly picked herself and dusted off her clothes. "J-Just a minute... I sense an unfamiliar presence..."

 

"Hey girls! What's up today?" Hau greeted them, in an attempt to spark up a normal conversation.

 

"Oh, oh, Hau! Did you bring that suuuper cute girl with you again?" one of the pink haired punks asked, twiddling her thumbs.

 

"Sorry, Cecilia, but Moon was busy today! I got someone else with me today though! Check it out!" Hau announced, and Gladion resisted the urge to hide his face again. Cecilia and the other girl stared at him blank faced.

 

"...Who?"

 

"Come ooon, it's Gladion! You know him now, right?"

 

Cecilia's eyes widened. "Oh, _that_  Gladion!"

 

"Oooh, hi! Me and Nanette-chan haven't met you yet, but my name is Hana! Let's get along, Gladion-kun~!" the other girl said. Gladion had to stop himself from visibly cringing.

 

"We joined after you had already left, but I still hear a lot about you," Nanette mused.

 

"Nanette has a special talent, she does tarot readings! One of these days, she's going to help me find my first love~!" Cecilia sang, kneeling down to the much shorter girl. "Isn't that right?"

 

"U-Um, yes, I do readings... I don't exactly know about the other parts, though..."

 

"So cool! Yo, Glad, think Nanette could tell your fortune, too?" Hau asked, though really there was no way for Gladion to refuse. There was no harm in playing along, anyway.

 

"Sure."

 

Nanette squeaked excitedly, her purple eyes lighting up as she dragged Gladion into the girls' room by the sleeve of his hoodie. It was completely dark, save for the makeshift fortune teller's shop set up on one of the beds, illuminated by a purple fake crystal ball lamp in the middle. Nanette sat on one side of the lamp, and patted the bed on the other side, motioning for Gladion to join her. Hau, Cecilia and Hana sat on one of the other beds in a corner to watch.

 

"I don't mind _you_  three in here, as long as you're _quiet_." Nanette muttered, glaring at the extra trio. She cleared her throat.

 

"Now, the type of reading I do will use three cards: depending which order you pick them, they will be your past, present, and future. You know oughta know how it works from some kind of PokéTV show or something. Now, ahem. Would you please shuffle these cards?" She handed him the deck. These were unusually shaped cards, but they still looked like the type of thing you could get at a thrift store for a couple of bucks.

 

Gladion wasn't the best card shuffler in the world, but he managed. It was still kind of embarassing, though.

 

"Now, I'll spread the cards out like this, and... you pick three. It's pretty easy."

 

"So, these are supposed to determine my future?"

 

"Don't think too hard about it. It doesn't usually make sense to simple minded beings such as humans."

 

"Kyaaah! This is what I was talking about! She's tooootally a ghost girl-"

 

" _Hana_ ," Nanette hissed, "Shut up. It's part of my image." Gladion decided he wouldn't let Nanette get any more impatient, and pulled three cards from the deck, one at a time. Nanette grinned eerily, illuminated by the purple glow of the lamp. She set the three cards out in a line.

 

"This first card is your past. Flip it over for me."

 

The cards were very cute, decorated with little drawings of Legendary Pokémon. The first card was revealed to be The Hermit, upside down.

 

"Ooh... I see it! In your past, even recently, you were very reserved, cut off from the world. You were hiding yourself away, just like this Hermit, right? Am I not correct? In this position, this card symbolizes isolation and loneliness... I think you still have some walls up~" Gladion stayed silent. I mean, he might as well let her do her thing, though she was completely spot on. He wouldn't let her know that, though. Nanette grinned as she turned over the second card. Death, upright. It was accompanied by a grim illustration of the Pokémon Yveltal.

 

"Eek! Gladion's not going to die, is he?"

 

"No. Obviously not. And I thought I told you three to shut your mouths if you were going to watch. Anyway. In the upright position, Death is actually a good thing. It could mean a fresh start. New beginnings. The end of a certain era in your life... Accompanied with the Hermit card from earlier, it could mean that you're finally breaking out of your shell. You are letting the old Gladion 'die', persay, so you can move on towards new possibilities. This is the beginning of the new Gladion~" Nanette giggled at the end. Now, this part Gladion struggled to believe. Finally, the third card was flipped over. A wide, mischievous sharp toothed smirk spread across Nanette's face upon reading it. The Lovers, upright.

 

"Oh, this is a fun one. There could be a few reasons that The Lovers showed up. Well... the obvious one is that you will experience a deep emotional bond with someone in your life in the near future. Whether it be friendship, or..." she giggled, leaning right up to Gladion's face to whisper in his ear,

 

"Is there someone you love, Gladion?"

 

Her breath sent a chill down his neck. All of a sudden, the light switch was flicked on, and the room was flooded in brightness. Nanette squeaked and covered her eyes with her hands.

 

"No fair! That's not fair at all!" Cecilia whined. It seemed she was the one to turn on the lights. "That was supposed to be my card! I'm totally jealous!"

 

"Ceci-chan, you're annoying! It was just about to get interesting!"

 

Gladion silently thanked Cecilia in his head. There was no way he would have been able to answer Nanette's question anyway.

 

"Jeez, can't you two sit quiet for a minute?" Hau complained.

 

"No, it is forgiven. The reading was basically over anyway. Gladion, that will be 10,000 PokéDollars." Nanette reached her hand up to Gladion expectantly.

 

"Uh, that's a joke?" Gladion asked awkwardly. Nanette responded by rubbing her finger and thumb together impatiently.

 

"Haha, Nanette, you kidder! Uh, me and Gladion were actually juuust about to leave, so..."

 

"Were we?"

 

"Yup!" Hau grabbed onto one sleeve of Gladion's sweater and pulled him out of the room and back down the hallway. "See ya, Nanette, please don't put a curse on me!!!"

 

"Y-You numbskulls! I don't work for free! Do you know how much I payed to master the art of the cards? Th-The spirits are going to be very angry with you little thiefs!!" Nanette hissed, leaping off the bed after them. Before she could get far, however, Cecilia and Hana had grabbed her, holding the shorter girl up by one arm each. She frantically kicked her legs in attempt to escape.

 

"Nanette, you got those cards from a clearance sale at the Thrifty Megamart."

 

"Y-Yes, but..."

 

"Byeee, Gladion-kun!" Hana called out after the boys as they ran. "I don't think he'll be coming back though..."

 

"Boo, you scared off another one, Nanette! What if he was supposed to be my first love?"

 

"Mm... something tells me it wasn't him~" Nanette giggled. She watched the greying sky as the two boys ran off. Somewhere in the distance, there was a crackle of thunder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wonder why moon and lillie were busy?? (eyes emoji...) maybe that will be revealed on a later date.  
> for nanette, i pictured her as a hex maniac trainer in a team skull uniform, which i think is very cute!!!! this one came out a little longer because i had fun writing the grunts being terrible to eachother LOL  
> ps the only thing i know about tarot cards is from google, so if anything is wrong then uuh... pls dont be mad at meee (;*△*;)...


	6. Dark Clouds and Sunny Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After escaping from Po Town, the boys find themselves stuck again.

The two boys ran out of the Shady House, Hau still pulling Gladion by the sleeve. They kept going until they were nearly out of Po Town. Even once they passed the gates, Hau kept going, and Gladion struggled to catch up without tripping over his own feet. Gladion glanced behind them.

"Hau, stop."

"C'mon, man, pick those feet up! The devil itself's gonna lay a curse on us if we don't-" Hau looked behind them as well. The road behind them was totally empty. "Ah... Nanette gave up! I bet Ceci and Hana caught her after... I'll have to thank those gals!"

"Seriously, you don't gotta pull me either," Gladion said, yanking his sleeve out of his hand.

"Oh, haha, sorry 'bout that. But at least we got out alive, right?"

"I thought you were friends with those guys. Was she actually going to..."

"Oh, I'm friends with 'em! Nanette's just a bit unpredictable, sooo..." Hau trailed off.

"What did you think she was going to do?"

"Bite me! Did you _see_ her teeth, man? She might be short, but if she got a hold of my ankles..."

At that, Gladion laughed. It was short, more like a bark than anything, but Hau was still proud of himself. He made people smile often, but Gladion? That was an achievement.

"Type: Null used to bite me like that. I think I could handle it."

"You think?" Hau laughed back. "C'mon, let's get a Charizard and fly back. It's super cloudy, it might rain too!" He pulled out the Ride Pager, punched in the number and waited. It didn't take long for a Ride Charizard to appear in the sky. It looked like a shadow in the fog. Once it landed, Hau hurriedly hopped up onto its back.

"Come on, come on... before it gets any cloudier! O-Oh, sorry, did you want the handles this time?"

Gladion climbed up behind him. There was no hesitation this time. "No thanks. I think I've gotten used to the back seat."

"Suit yourself, then! Fly, Charizard! Let's go!"

Up they went, finding a comfy space just below the clouds. The fog wasn't too bad. Only when it started to rain did there become a problem. It started lightly, sprinkling down just hard enough to be felt. Gladion put up his hood to protect his hair, and buried his face into the back of Hau's shirt. He wasn't in the mood for getting soaking wet today. Even so, the back of his hoodie was getting drenched to his skin just from the sheer amount of rain above them. Taking notice, Hau ordered their ride Pokémon to speed up. As they continued on, however, the rain built up, more and more, until it was too heavy to ignore. Only when they heard the crash of thunder and lightning in the distance did it become apparent that maybe they wouldn't make the trip home safely.

"Charizard, land!" Hau ordered. His hair was completely drenched at this point. "Just... land wherever! The closest place possible!"

The Charizard obeyed, diving down onto the nearest island. They touched down in a dark, grassy clearing, surrounded by rocks. Gladion could vaguely remember seeing this place before. The two climbed off of their Ride Pokémon as quick as possible, eager to find somewhere dry to wait out this raging storm. As the Charizard flew off, likely going back to its home, the two boys began to run. Gladion's feet failed him, slipping on the wet grass and nearly falling flat onto the soggy ground, before Hau caught him by the hand.

"Don't get left behind, alright?"

It was difficult not to while navigating such terrain through the powerful downpour that fell around them, but he managed. They helped eachother, pushing through thick grass and bushes until they reached the bottom of a cliff. Concealed by some leaves, there was a decently sized cave. They would have to kneel to fit inside. Perhaps at one point, the cave had served as a home for a family of Pokémon, but it was empty for now. Hau pushed his way in, finding a spot and sitting cross-legged against the smooth stone back of the cave. Gladion quickly followed.

"It was super lucky to find a place like this... too bad for Charizard, though, it wouldn't even have been able to fit," Hau sighed.

"Mm, yeah," Gladion mumbled. He was really too tired for conversation after all that running.

Hau took his hair down. It looked a lot longer when it was out of its usual style. Long, damp strands fell around his face, sticking to eachother. He grabbed his hair back behind his head and rung out the water, twisting and tugging. He combed his hands through in an attempt to fix it.

"I'm a mess," he laughed, keeping his eyes on the storm outside. Though, he certainly looked like the prettiest mess Gladion had ever seen. Hau turned back to him. "Your hoodie is soaked, dude."

Gladion flushed red. He hadn't been staring, had he? Whatever. He pulled his soggy sweater off of his head. He figured that it wouldn't be any use in keeping him warm if it was soaked with rain and mud. Though he wore a black tank top underneath, he still shivered at the air suddenly hitting his skin. It wasn't as cold as you would expect, though, since the Alolan climate rarely let the air get unbearably frigid. Still, the rain was annoying. Gladion hated rain. Another clap of thunder made him flinch.

"You okay? You look kinda cold without your hoodie... but maybe it's just because I've never seen you without one before. Still, you've been super quiet since we got in here," Hau said softly. Gladion just crawled over, not finding the strength for words, and sprawled out with his head in Hau's lap. It was comfier than the cave floor, at least. And besides, Hau was warm. He seemed to be the only beam of sunlight that managed to persist through all of this terrible weather. Hau was surprised by the sudden affection, but definitely not about to object.

"Oh! This, um... this is good."

Gladion grumbled something in response. He wished he could sleep through this storm, but he knew that wasn't happening. Not with how loud the rain was, and certainly not with Hau here. Gladion almost jumped when he felt a hand on his face, but relaxed quickly. It was just Hau, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Sorry," Hau muttered quickly.

"It's okay, I don't care."

"Oh, lucky for me then," he chuckled, "Your hair is really pretty... but it looks good out of your eyes too."

Gladion melted into his lap, eyes glazing over as he tuned everything out. He watched the rain pour down outside the cave, pattering down onto the stone. The storm was all around them, echoing off of the cave walls. Only when another crash of thunder hit his ears did he realize he was beginning to tear up. Hau noticed, too.

"Whoa, are you... are you alright?"

His vision was blurry, but he could feel Hau gently brush the tears from his face with a thumb. Though he was close to breaking down, his voice remained steady. He had learned to conceal when he was upset after living with the overbearing Lusamine for so long.

"Null and I used to spend so many nights like this. The night I left the Aether Foundation... my mother, she was yelling, you could hear it across the whole Paradise... about how I wasn't even a son to her, and how... how good kids didn't steal her Pokémon. And no one would ever love me if I left. Null and I were the same, we were outcasts, and I couldn't stand to see it being tortured by her Foundation any more... For the first months, we had nowhere to go, so we'd often hide in caves during storms just like this one, and Null would lick my tears..." His voice hitched. "That was before... before Team Skull took us in, that is... I'm-" Finally, he began to break. He pulled himself off of Hau's lap. "I-I'm sorry, the thunder just reminded me... since Lillie came back its been worse, a-and... God, you shouldn't have to deal with me crying all over you. I know it's embarassing."

Gladion tried to turn away, he couldn't bare letting Hau see him in such a state. Before he could look away, however, Hau caught him, resting one hand to cup the side of his face and catch his gaze. Gladion choked up, burying his face into the other boy's palm.

"Dude, don't apologize. You don't have to be sorry for hurting. It's not your fault, okay? Just... let it out, I won't judge you or anything. And besides, I think Lusamine was wrong about that."

"What are you..."

"That no one would ever love you, I mean. She was wrong. Because you know, I care about you a lot, man."

"You mean like...?"

"Like that? Yeah! That's not weird, is it?" Hau suddenly sounded less sure. "If it is, then you can just forget I said anyth-"

He was cut off as Gladion threw himself into his arms. Hau toppled over, almost hitting the cave floor from the impact, but catching himself just in time. His hands found a place to support Gladion's back. He probably just needed someone sturdy to keep him grounded during this. Hau was happy to help.

Gladion choked back a sob as he pulled Hau further into his grip. He stayed there, leaning into Hau's shoulder like a cat, until he managed to calm his breathing. Something about Hau was so comforting, even with all the rain and commotion outside. He sighed, blinking the last of his tears from his tired eyes as he calmed down. Finally, he found his voice.

"Are you sure you aren't just saying that to make me feel better?" he muttered between breaths.

"Why would you even think something like that? I... I love you a lot, man. I've felt like that for a long time and it's not about to change now." Hau felt Gladion's grip around him squeeze tighter momentarily.

"Well, in that case," Gladion said softly, managing to pull himself away from Hau's shoulder to gently look up at his face, "I care about you, too."

Gladion didn't have much time to admire the sudden flustered look of surprise he had painted on Hau's face. They were cut off by the sudden appearance of the sun, peeking out from behind the clouds and flooding their cave with light. Hau and Gladion watched in awe as the dark cloudy sky cleared, piece by piece, letting beams of light shine down into the grassy field in front of them.

And bit by bit, a rainbow started to form.

"Whoa!! Can you see it? C'mon, let's get a better look!"

Gladion was begrudgingly forced to pry himself away, and watched as Hau pushed out through the foliage encasing the cave entrance. Seeing as the rain had _mostly_ cleared up, Gladion was able to follow him out as well. The soggy grass squished under his feet as he stepped. From there, he could see the endearing look of childlike wonder on Hau's face as he looked up at the streak of color in the sky. His hands were held behind his head in his usual nonchalant pose.

"You're acting like you've never seen a rainbow before," Gladion teased.

"You love it, too, though," Hau grinned back. He looked down at the path they had landed on. Through the new lens of the sunlight, Hau suddenly knew where he was.

"Hey, I think I recognize this field here, my Tutu actually lives nearby! Wanna head over?"

"Are you sure he won't mind?"

"'Course not, he's the kahuna, haha. Where do you usually live, anyways?"

"I mean," Gladion paused. "I usually stay in the Aether Foundation."

"Ah... I'm taking it you _don't_ wanna go back there yet. So c'mon, you can stay with me!"

With that, the the two began to make their way out of the field and back onto the path. Once they were out onto flat ground, Hau stole a glance back at Gladion with a coy smirk.

"Oh yeah, by the way... you still mean that stuff you said back there?" he giggled.

Gladion's face reddened. He turned away, not able to look Hau in the face, but extended a hand towards him with a _hmph_.

"I'm taking that as a yes," Hau laughed, taking Gladion's hand in his own as they continued down the path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for a bit of a long wait! this chapter was... really fun! i did most of it from memory so it's probably not the most accurate to the game, but i hope you enjoyed it anyway!


	7. A Rowboat Under Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooklet Hill looks a lot different at night.

"Moon! Where are we going?" Lillie cried as she allowed herself to be tugged along by the shorter girl.

"Shhh, I don't wanna ruin the surprise! It'll be fun though, I promise!"

With little clue as to why, Moon had taken Lillie on a trip to Akala Island, at 8 o'clock in the night no less. They went by ferry this time as opposed to taking a Ride Pokémon, and Moon had been bouncing in her seat the entire ride.

Moon skillfully dodged the patches of grass as she ran through the mouth of Brooklet Hill. The ground was still slightly wet from the rain earlier that day. Lillie sprinted to keep up, gripping Moon's hand like her life depended on it. Finally, Moon skidded to a halt at the shore of one of Brooklet Hill's huge ponds. There, she saw Lana, setting up a small rowboat in the water. Seeing the two girls approach, she smiled and waved.

"Hi, girls! Are you ready?" She called.

"Yup! We can take it from here Lana!" Moon yelled back, a certain confidence in her voice. What was she up to?

Lillie looked at the dark water in front of them. A rowboat ride, this late in the evening? The water looked nearly black, the only color really being the reflections off of the foliage around them. Lillie stared down at the murky reflection of her face beneath her.

"Well, that means I'm off. Have fun, you two!" Lana giggled, "And don't forget to watch out for the Sharpedo! They get a little hungry around dinner time~" Lillie suddenly jumped back from the water with a small squeak.

"Lana!!" Moon huffed, "I told you not to make that kind of joke around Lillie! I-It was a joke, right?"

"Ehe... almost got you. In all seriousness, have a nice trip!" she said, and she was off.

"Jeez, I'll never get used to that... Lana sure is something alright," Moon said quietly. Lillie giggled.

"Can you tell me what you're planning here yet?"

"Shhh... I'll tell you eventually, okay? Just trust me."

Lillie squeezed her hand. "Okay."

Pleased with her response, Moon smiled wide. "You'll have fun! It'll be fun. Now c'mooon, I'm getting impatient!" That much was obvious. She pulled Lillie over to the small rowboat, perched on the beach in front of them. Lillie got in first, hesitantly, her legs shaking on the unsteady platform. Quickly, she adjusted, settling in on one side of the wooden boat, facing the shore. Moon quickly joined her. Almost too quickly, as the boat rocked dramatically with her impact. She almost tripped, but luckily caught onto Lillie's shoulder. Using the other girl to steady herself, Moon eventually found her seat on the other side of the boat. When she finally removed her hand from Lillie's shoulder, she tilted her head and smiled.

"Have you ever been in a rowboat before?" Lillie asked.

"Not since I was a kid," Moon admitted.

"Okay, because I'm not too familiar with them either."

Moon's grin widened as she picked up the two wooden oars. "That's great, because we can learn together," she hummed. She dipped one oar into the water experimentally. It bobbed up to the surface. She tried again, moving the oar around in the water, getting used to the way it resisted.

"I'll be the one to move the boat," Moon announced, "So all you gotta do is sit back and relax."

"Have you ever rowed it..?"

"Well, when I did it with my dad as a kid... I was too little to hold the  
paddles. But now I'm a big kid, so..." She flexed her muscles.

"If you say so," Lillie giggled. She and her acquaintance quickly situated themselves, Moon grabbing the two paddles and pushing through the water, away from shore. The water rippled around them wherever they went, creating quickly disappearing halos in the lake. It took a bit of trial and error, but Moon was a fast learner. She swiftly found the most efficient way to propell the boat through the lake.

The scenery was beautiful. Now that they were in the middle of the water, the only hint of the shore around them was the faint glowing of the Morelull, peeking their heads out of the forest to see what the commotion was about. The stars gleamed almost as bright as the moon did, and both reflected down into the dark water to create a mirror image. Peering down into the water, Lillie could now see a few Chinchou waking up, their lights buzzing to life as the boat passed them by. A few much larger Lanturn weren't too far behind, either. Lillie gasped. With the light coming off of the Angler Pokémon, she could now see the lush ecosystem hidden beneath the surface. Schools of Wishiwashi chased eachother past the larger Seaking and Goldeen, treading carefully as not to wake up the sleeping Gyarados in the deepest depths. The floating Surskit cast spotty shadows down onto the wide-eyed Magikarp, which were picking the rocks for food below. Lillie was amazed that so many Pokémon could live comfortably in such a small pond, completely obscured from human view. She leaned over the edge of the boat, just enough to get a better view. Blue light cast over her face, lighting up her eyes like glass bowls.

Moon looked on hopefully, her hands clasped around her knee as she rocked a little bit in place. When Lillie looked back, she tilted her head and grinned, though her legs still shook in anticipation.

"So?" she started, tilting her head down to look up at Lillie with wide eyes. "What do you think?"

"Oh, Moon, it's beautiful," Lillie sighed, "I can see now why you wanted to go at night." With that reassurance, Moon's smile became more genuine.

The boat's oars had since been set aside. For now, the girls were content where they were, floating, drifting along the lush pond. The air smelled sweet, and even the Pokémon in the surrounding forests fell near-silent to the rippling of the water. Lillie dipped her hand in the pool, tracing lines with her finger as she contemplated breaking the silence that hung over them. It had become comfortable, too comfortable. She felt a thought she had buried reappear, biting at the back of her mind. She didn't want silence, she wanted to talk now more than ever.

"It really is a nice night," she mused. That was enough to get them off the ground. Now, if Moon would cooperate...

"Mm," she replied, barely audible as she was speaking into her knees. She had since curled up into a little ball of adorable. Was she cold? It wasn't cold. Even the water was warm.

"What are you back there for?" Lillie placed a hand on Moon's knee, which was so close to her face, prying her to come out of hiding. "If you're cold, we can head back early."

Moon unballed herself, sitting straightforward with her hands in fists on her legs. "It's not that," she said bluntly, avoiding eye contact. She stared at her fists. She tightened them, untightened them, twiddled her thumbs. "It's just..."

"It's just?" Bold. When did Lillie get this bold?

"I brought you out because I wanted to say something, but now I'm not sure if I can do it."

Lillie sat up and pursed her lips. It was unlike Moon to back down from something once she started. Moon didn't look up at her, gaze still focused on her fists. They were clenched so tightly they shook, ever so slightly. Lillie placed her own hands over her friend's and they calmed immediately. The small comfort was enough for Moon to finally look up to meet Lillie's gaze. Now that she could finally see them, Lillie decided that Moon's eyes were the most lovely she had ever seen. She wanted to take all of the fear and uncertainty out from that gaze and and get rid of it. Eyes that pretty had no business looking afraid.

Had she been smarter, Lillie would have taken the words from Moon's mouth, taking what she so obviously wanted to say and making it her own. But she didn't. She instead returned to her own side of the boat, her eyes wide with concern as all she could stutter was a broken _'o-oh'_. Moon chewed her lip as she looked back down to the wooden floor.

"Lillie, I think I love you."

The last three words hit like Hyper Beams, leaving Lillie lock-lipped. The water wasn't cold, but it certainly wasn't hot either. When did she start feeling this hot? Moon's words hung in the air like berries from their vines. At last, Lillie reached up to pick the safest one.

"I... Moon, that's wonderful," she started. She began to lean forward, to brush the hair from her face, to wipe her tears, anything, but righted herself quickly. She had no clue how to stay still. Hopefully the dew in the air hid the growing droplets in her eyes.

"No, I don't think you get it, I... Lillie, I _love_ you!" she cried, more forcefully. "I brought you out here, 'cause, well... I felt like I was lying to you if I didn't tell you, and..." She tugged at the hem of her shirt nervously. Her glare could almost burn a hole in the bottom of the boat. "I didn't want to... to keep this up, reading too deeply into every little action, if... if I didn't know where I wanted to go with it." Without her confidence, Moon looked vulnerable. Like a wounded battleship, she could sink at any moment.

"Moon!" Lillie brought a hand to the other girl's face, forcing her out of her trance. Her brown eyes twinkled with reflections of the water. "I-I understand your feelings. Please, please don't cry, I'm being serious – I love you."

"Lillie..." Moon said softly, the light gently returning to her face. However, it left as soon as it appeared, replaced with a look of disheartenment. "You're just saying that, aren't you?"

Lillie's heart sunk. She meant it from the bottom of her heart, wasn't it obvious enough? She gulped. "I... I'll prove it," she announced. That seemed to catch Moon's interest, as she looked up with wide eyes. She reached up to hold the pale hand which was cupping her face.

So Lillie cocked her head, parted her lips, leaned in and kissed her.

Trembling lips met trembling lips, and pressed together such in an innocent embrace that could only be a first kiss. Lillie felt Moon smile and pulled back. Once they parted, the relieved smile on Moon's face was rewarding.

"You really are serious, huh?" She grinned.

Lillie did her best to put on a false angry face, the one she used whenever Nebby was being difficult. "Of course I am, silly! Jeez..."

Moon saw right through her and giggled. "So, does that mean we're dating now?"

Lillie's heart almost stopped. "I-If that's okay, then... yes."

"Okay, girlfriend~!" she hummed.

"Um... now that we're d-dating... what do g-girlfriends usually do together?"

"Well..." Moon pondered, "Usually they can go on dates!"

Suddenly, Lillie began to tear up again. "Oh... I think it's too late for that..." she mumbled.

"What?!"

"It's too late because..." she continued, hiding her face in her hands.

"Lillie, if you start to cry, I will jump out of this boat and swim all the way back."

"It's too late to go on a date because..." Suddenly, she lifted her face from her hands to reveal a huge, teary-eyed smile. "We're already on one!!"

Moon laughed and pounced over to Lillie's side of the boat, causing it to rock in place. Neither girl seemed to take notice, however, as they were too preoccupied giggling at eachother.

"You tricked me," Moon huffed. "But wait, you're... still crying!"

It was true, her face was still wet with tears. "Sorry, I'm just so... so happy..." she sniffled.

The only other sound over the pond was the rippling of the water, as the girls, giggling all the way, paddled their way back ashore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (yea i knooooowww not all the pokémon i said were there are actually in brooklet hill... shhhh just imagine.)  
> anyway, sorry for a long wait! i can never have a regular upload schedule because my inspiration comes in bits and pieces at a time...  
> for this chapter, i used some of my own "love experience" as reference :-) and i also felt a bit poetic!!!  
> i think i might have either 1 or 2 chapters left, and then i'll wrap this badboy up! thanks everyone for your comments!


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